Guilford sheriff set to take on Internet sweepstakes business

Guilford County will start cracking down on Internet sweepstakes businesses Monday morning, but law enforcement in Alamance County is still waiting for a “go” from the district attorney’s office.

The news from the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office falls on the heels of the North Carolina Supreme Court’s decision upholding a ban on video sweepstakes machines, which was to go into effect Jan. 3.

“There has been a lot of confusion concerning the status of enforcement of this law both before and after the N.C. Supreme Court ruling just handed down,” said Sheriff B.J. Barnes of the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office in a news release. “In fairness to the operators who have operated under the cover of the law before and during the appeal process, setting a time certain is fair to all.”

Beginning 8 a.m. Monday, any person in Guilford County found in violation of the state statute will be subject to arrest and prosecution, Barnes said in the release.

In a Times-News article the day of the ruling’s effective date, Alamance County District Attorney Pat Nadolski said it’s possible there will be appeals to federal court and the U.S. Supreme Court, making the law’s status ambiguous.

The corporation behind the sweepstakes machines has also said it will change its software to comply with state statutes if the laws are upheld in court.

“We’re going to have to wait and see what happens,” Nadolski said. “All those questions have to be answered. We want to have certainty if we’re going to prosecute. If there’s going to be law enforcement action, we need to know (what the law is and how it will be enforced).”

Spokesmen with the Burlington Police Department, the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office, and other local law enforcement agencies said they’ll wait to take cues from the district attorney’s office before actively enforcing the ruling.